GM's Total Value Promise to Feature OnStar's New Vehicle Diagnostics Service
13 September 2005 - 5:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
OnStar by GM Expands Its Industry-leading Service Portfolio With
the Only Service That Lets Your Vehicle Tell You How It's Doing
Every Month DETROIT, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- OnStar announced
today it has added a significant and new subscriber service to its
industry-leading in-vehicle communications portfolio. The new "only
GM" service, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, automatically performs
hundreds of diagnostic checks on four key GM vehicle operating
systems -- the engine/transmission, anti-lock brake, airbag and
OnStar. The vehicle is automatically programmed to send the results
via email to the owner each month. The unique email report also
provides maintenance reminders based on the vehicle's current
odometer reading, remaining engine oil-life and other relevant
vehicle ownership and OnStar subscription information. This new
monthly vehicle diagnostic service is offered to eligible OnStar
subscribers at no additional charge. OnStar subscribers can always
request a GM Goodwrench(R) Remote Diagnostics check at any time
during the month by pressing their blue OnStar button. OnStar
advisors perform "real-time" remote diagnostics checks for
subscribers about 27,000 times a month. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics
is exclusively for GM customers and enhances GM's commitment to its
Total Value Promise. No other manufacturer offers these two unique,
valuable and comprehensive diagnostic services to its customers
remotely to the vehicle or directly to the customer's home
computer. "OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics demonstrates how GM is
leading the way with innovative new products and services that
enhance the vehicle ownership experience and give customers more
than they expected," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice
president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "OnStar Vehicle
Diagnostics, which is exclusively for GM customers, enhances GM's
commitment to our Total Value Promise. Only GM offers this
industry-leading technology, and it's available across the breadth
of our portfolio." OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics service can be
activated on millions of 2004 model-year or newer OnStar-equipped
GM vehicles that have GM's exclusive Oil- Life System and
diagnostic capabilities. An active OnStar subscription is required
for enrollment. Offered as an opt-in service, subscribers can
enroll at the OnStar website (http://www.onstar.com/ ) or by simply
pressing their blue OnStar button and asking an advisor to enroll
them in the service. Once enrolled, OnStar subscribers receive
monthly vehicle diagnostic reports covering four key operating
systems and recommended maintenance reminders based on the
vehicle's current odometer reading. The "real-time" report is sent
directly to the OnStar subscriber's computer desktop via email each
month, providing customers additional peace-of-mind when driving in
their vehicle. The report also matches the vehicle's current
odometer reading to the GM Simplified Maintenance Schedule so that
customers are informed about recommended maintenance services.
OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics participants receive the added
peace-of-mind in knowing the operational status of four key vehicle
systems and the convenience of a regular maintenance report -- all
at no additional cost to their OnStar subscription. "OnStar is
committed to providing unparalleled peace-of-mind to its
subscribers by helping keep them safe while driving. OnStar Vehicle
Diagnostics gives our subscribers added confidence that their
vehicles are ready for the road," said Chet Huber, president of
OnStar. "By combining OnStar's vehicle diagnostics email service
with our in-vehicle GM Goodwrench(R) Remote Diagnostics service,
our subscribers receive relevant and valuable information about
their GM vehicle on their computer or directly from the OnStar
advisor while driving." Approximately 85% of surveyed OnStar
subscribers say they value the added peace-of-mind and convenience
vehicle diagnostic services provide and these subscribers consider
vehicles with such a feature to be reliable, safe, high- quality
and high-tech. In the 2005 J.D. Power and Associates U.S.
Automotive Emerging Technologies Study(SM) over half the people
surveyed were interested in remote vehicle diagnostics. Moreover,
when asked to allocate a given amount of money toward the features
they would like on their next new vehicle, remote vehicle
diagnostics ranked 3rd among the 18 traditional and new features
included in the question. The 2005 study is based on responses from
more than 17,000 U.S. consumers and the study is designed to
measure consumer familiarity, interest and purchase intent for
emerging automotive technologies. GM's Oil-Life System is a
GM-exclusive technology only available on GM vehicles and is both
friendly to the pocketbook and to the environment. The industry
recommendation of changing oil every three months or three thousand
miles is based on oil quality of the mid-1970s, which has vastly
improved since that time. The GM Oil-Life System monitors key
engine operating conditions. In today's GM vehicles, it is common
to safely travel 8,500 or more miles between oil changes when this
industry-exclusive technology is used as intended. By following the
GM Oil-Life System, it is estimated that more than 100-million
gallons of oil could be saved over the next five years on the
millions of GM vehicles that already have this system. In addition
to OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, OnStar's portfolio of safety,
security and convenience services, includes automatic air bag
notification, emergency services, roadside assistance, GM
Goodwrench(R) remote diagnostics, remote door unlock, driving
directions and routing, points-of-interest location, stolen vehicle
location assistance and hands-free calling. On a monthly basis
(average for May - July 2005), OnStar responds to approximately: --
400 stolen vehicle location assistance calls -- 900 air bag
notification calls -- 140 Advanced Automatic Crash Notification
calls -- 15,000 emergency calls -- 27,000 GM Goodwrench(R) remote
diagnostic service requests -- 23,000 roadside assistance calls --
43,000 remote door unlock requests -- 383,000 route assistance
calls -- 9,500,000 OnStar Hands-Free Calling calls For 2006, OnStar
is available on more than 50 GM vehicles including SUVs, light
trucks, minivans, crossovers, large and midsize sedans, and small
cars. Only GM is committed to offering a full range of vehicles
that offer safety protection before, during and, with OnStar, after
a crash. For more OnStar information or to download a
high-resolution image of an OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail,
visit http://onstar.internetpressroom.com/pressroom.cfm About
OnStar by GM OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors,
is the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and
communication services using wireless technology and the Global
Positioning System (GPS) satellite network. OnStar is available on
more than 50 GM models for 2005. Over the next several years,
OnStar Service will become a standard feature for one year for GM's
retail customers in the United States and Canada, covering all
segments and prices except for some commercial vehicles. OnStar
safety and security services include automatic notification of air
bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, emergency
services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, and GM
Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics. OnStar Hands-Free Calling
allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated
calls from their vehicle. Hands-free calling requires a Hands-Free
Calling Enabled Vehicle, existing OnStar service contract and
prepaid calling minutes. More information about OnStar can be found
at http://www.onstar.com/ . OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics is available
on most 2004 MY and newer GM vehicles delivered after 4-21-04 and
equipped with the GM Oil-Life System. Not available on Pontiac Vibe
and Saab 9-3 or 9-5. Diagnostic capabilities vary by model. A valid
email address is required for participation. DATASOURCE: General
Motors Corporation CONTACT: OnStar: Keith Yaden, +1-313-667-0784,
cell: +1-248-765-3049, or Terry Sullivan, +1-313-665-2816, cell:
+1-313-378-8212, ; J.D. Power and Associates: John Tews, Director,
Media Relations, +1-248-312-4119, Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.onstar.com/
http://onstar.internetpressroom.com/pressroom.cfm
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